BUCHAREST, Romania -- Romania's unpopular president was fighting for his political life on Sunday as Romanians voted on whether to oust him, part of a political battle that has raised questions about the rule of law in the fledgling European Union member.

Traian Basescu's rivals in the government are seeking to push him out for the second time in five years. They claim the 60-year-old populist violated the constitution by meddling in government business, coddling cronies and using the secret services against enemies.

Basescu, a former ship captain whose popularity has plummeted over economic challenges, says he's the victim of a political vendetta and has urged his supporters to boycott the vote - a tactic that may help him survive thanks to a rule requiring turnout to be more than half of the total electorate.

The political turmoil has dented Romania's credibility, with the U.S. and EU expressing doubts about the left-leaning government's respect for the independence of the judiciary. Critics accuse Prime Minister Victor Ponta, himself the subject of a plagiarism scandal, of orchestrating the move as part of a power grab.

Parliament, dominated by Ponta allies, impeached Basescu earlier this month, setting up Sunday's national referendum on his future. Polls opened at 7 a.m. (0400 GMT) and will close at 11 p.m. (2000 GMT) with 18 million Romanians eligible to vote, including many living abroad.

At 2 p.m. (1100 GMT) after seven hours of voting, the turnout was just 21.37 percent, according to the Central Election Bureau. That was lower than June local elections when the turnout was about 56 percent.

Most voters are expected to vote to oust Basescu, but it is uncertain whether the government can muster the necessary turnout to make the result binding.

"There are bandits on both sides, and I can't be bothered to vote," said Vlad Tanasescu, 34. "All they want to do is to take revenge on each other."

However, some said it was time for Basescu to be removed from office.

"I am not happy with what is happening to the country, the economy, all the political scandal and the corruption," said Cristian Neagu, 28, a computer programmer.

Basescu has been president since 2004. He was impeached in 2007 but survived a national referendum.

He is a center-right politician, though as president he is not allowed to be a member of any party. Unlike presidencies in some European nations, Basescu's position is not merely ceremonial. He is elected in a popular vote and is in charge of foreign policy, names the chiefs of the powerful intelligence services and is in charge of the country's defense policies.

Over the past two years, Basescu has seen his approval numbers drop largely because the government introduced austerity measures to meet demands by the International Monetary Fund in exchange for a multibillion euro (dollar) loan. Public wages were cut by one-fourth and sales tax raised to 24 percent, one of the highest in the EU.

Ponta heads the left-leaning Social Democratic Party. He became prime minister May 7, the third in four months after the previous two were ousted over austerity measures. Unlike his predecessors who were deferential to Basescu, Ponta has moved instead to sideline Basescu and his allies.

Ponta says that Basescu's confrontational style of governing and interfering in the justice system and government business are evidence that he is unfit for the job. He also alleges that charges that he plagiarized his 2004 doctoral thesis are orchestrated by Basescu's camp.

The foreign ministry has opened polling stations in embassies in the United States, Italy, Spain, France and elsewhere where an estimated 2 million Romanians are eligible to vote.